Apparatus for printing and assembling manifolding books, pads, etc.



1,621 189 March 15, 1927. H P BROWN i APPARATUS FOR PRINTING AND ASSEMBLING MANIFOLDING BOOKS, PADS, ETC

Filed y 1923 3 Sheets-Jinan 1 Wu H W T lnaeh tor g I 33%}??? Mi rA jgm ttorneys 1 I 621K189 March 15, 927 H. P. BRQWN APPARATUS FOR PRINTING AND ASSEMBLING MANIFOLDING BOOKS,'PA DS, ETC

Filed May 14. 1923 3 Sheets-sheet 2 i ii i Eii i ii I, /2 2,3

i in

1, 21,1 March 15, 1927. H. P. BROWN 6 89 APPARATUS FOR PRINTING AND ASSEMBLING MANIFOLDING BOOKS, PADS, ETC

File d May 14, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor WWW Q fifccornegs' 56 printing obtained; practically any varlation Patented Mar. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Homes 2..- nnown, or onxnann, canmoama.

APPARATUS FOR PBINTTNG AND ASSEMBLING MANIBOLDING BOOKS, PADS, ETC.

Application filed May 14,

This invention relates to an a paratus for printing and assembling mu tiple form 1 anifolding books, pads, etc.

Multiple form manifolding books and pans, such as invoices, requisitions, order blanks, receipts, etc., containing an original and one or more copies, that is, duplicate forms, triplicates, uadruplicates, etc., are today manufacture or printed in great quantities as they have been uniformly adopted in practically every line of business where modern bookkeeping and accounting systems are employed;

Keen competition between the printers has naturally developed due to the large demand or business created and it might here be stated that some of the larger printing firms have gone so far as to specialize in this class of work, even building special presses to reduce manufacturing cost to a minimum. These firms usually employ specially built rotary presses as these presses have so far proven the most economical, but ractical 'eiperience has determined that t ey can 0 y be economically operated on large orders as the time required to make ready and the paper waste encountered on small orders render the cost prohibitive. There are other objections to rotary presses, even those speciall built, among which may be mentioned the ollowing:

First, positive registration of the multiple forms in certain cclaslsleshof wgrk cantnot be arantecd; secon i -gra 'e rin in is s ually out of thequfstion; thi i-d, lim ltations in size are encountered; fourth, variation in size between the original and duplicates, triplicates, etc., cannot be obtained; and fifth, bill-heads, etc., previousl lithographed in another press cannot be andled as a rotary press can only be fed by a continuous web of paper. These and other objections have forced the printers to resort to the use of employing cylinder resses or the like where each original, dup 'cate, triplicate, etc., must bemdividually printed in one or more presses, then collated, handgathered etc., the costbemg thereby greatly increas The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for printing work of this character whereby economy may be insured whether the order is large or small; whereby paper waste is reduced to a minimum; accurate registration and high-grade 1923. Serial No. 638,843.

in size secured, and whereby gathering or assembhng of the multiple forms is automatically taken care of simultaneously with the printing operation. Further objects will hereinafter appear.

One form which my invention may assume is exemplified in the following descriptlon and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation in section showmga feeding, printing, numbering, and assembling mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine showng the assembling belt.

By referring to the drawing it will be noted that a flat bed cylinder press has been illustrated, the width of the press being such that two or more'type forms may be placed side by side on the bed B of the press if desired. In the present instance four type forms are illustrated as indicated at 1, 2, 3 and 4. Four automatic feeders are also illustrated as indicated at 5, 6, 7 and 8, and four separate numbering devices are also illustrated as indicated at 9, 10, 11 and 12.

,A standard form of flat bed'cylinder press may be employed, the bed of the press being illustrated at B. The bed is reciprocally mounted, but the means for imparting a reciprocal movement thereto is not illustrated. The cylinder of the press is indicated at C, the frame in which it is journalled at A, and the cylinders which carried the numbering. devices are generally indicated at D. Disposed adjacent the discharge end a of the press is an endless conveyor belt 14. This belt is driven from the press in any suitable manner'or as here indicated by a bevel gear train 15. The belt is continuously driven and the speed is such that the sheets dischargedjwill be automatically arranged in their proper order and finally delivered to a receiving hopper 16. The operation will be as follows:

Supposing that a quadruplicate book or form is required; that is, a book or pad containing an original, a duplicate, a triplicate, and a quadruplicate. If this is the. case four type forms will be re uired as indicated at 1, 2 '3 and 4. These orms. are secured to the bed of the press in the usual manner and the cylinder will consequently be provided with four sets of grippers as indicated at 20, 21, 22 and 23 to receive and release the individual sheets as the machine operates. Automatic feeders of an suitable tyse may be employed, said fee ers being in icate at 5, 6 7 and 8. A stack of the required size and grade of pa r is placed in front ofeach feeder as in icated at 24 25, 26 and 27 and as the feeders are arranged to operate in unison, four sheets will simultaneously be delivered to the cylinder and printed when discharged during one reciprocation of the bed B. The individual sheets may also be numbered if desired bysuitabl arranging the numbering devices genera ly indicated at 9, 10, 11 and 12. In the present instance we will suppose that form 1 prints the original form, 2.the du licate form, 3 the trip 'cate, and 4 the qua ruplicate. In that instance the original, the duplicate, the triplicate and the quadruplicatc, will discharge in unison after the print ing operation hasbeen completed and as such will be delivered to the continuously moving belt 14. The original will assume the position indicated at '1", the duplicate the position indicated at 2, the triplicate the position indicated at 3, and the quadruplicate the position indicated at-4'. It is necessary that the original be placed on top of the du licate and next the triplicate under the dhplicate, and that the qua ruplicate assume the bottom position. This arrangement is automatica ly obtained in the present instance b causing the belt to travel at such a speed t at the quadruplicate will move from the position shown at 4" to the position shown at 3 during the time period required for one printing operation. The triplicate simultaneously moves from the position 3 to the osition 2', and the duplicate moves from t e position 2 to the position indicated at 1. Thus, after the four forms have been delivered and while the press is making its second printing operation, the sheets will all advance one position when the press completes its next printing and discharging o eration. A new quadruplicate will thus e deposited by the belt, a new triplicate will be deposited on the quadruplicate which has advance-done position, a new duplicate will be deposited on the triplicate, which has also advanced one osition, -and a new original will be depos- 1136(1'01113116 duplicate which has advanced one position. During the third operation of the press the sheets or forms will again advance one step and a new quadruplicate will be deposited, a new triplicate, a new duplicate and a new original, as previously described, and after the press has made four operations, the quadruplicate which was first rinted will by this time reach the position indicated at 1, thus making a stack of four sheets in the position 1, a stack of three sheets in the position 2, a stack of two sheets in the position 3, and a single sheet in the position 4%. This formation will continue as long as the press is operated and it is, therefore, only necessary to throw out the sheets discharged by the press during the first three rintin operations to insure perfect assem ly of t e printed forms or sheets and successive placing'of each assembly in the hopper 16 in numerical order. The only reason or removing the sheets discharged into the hopper during the first three printing operations is due to the fact that it will first receive sheet 1, secondly, itwill receive sheets 2 and 1, and third, it will .receive the sheets 3', 2* and 1, and as these are not complete assemblies, it is obvious that they must be removed and that this, practically speaking, constitutes the only paper waste encountered during a complete run of a certain book form. Of course there may be a few dama ed sheets, but such waste is small and need hardly be considered.

A fiat bed cylinder press in itself is not new nor are the automatic feeders indicated at 5, 6, 7 and 8, nor the numbering devices indicated at 9,10,11 and 12, but the arrangement here shown is new as is also the assembling method produced by the use of the endless conveyor 14. It is a well-known fact that high grade work can be obtained in a flat bed cylinder press; furthermore, that accurate registration may be obtained; practically any grade of rinting an'd re istration may, therefore, e insured by t is arrangement; any variation in size of the forms to be printed may also be taken care of'in a' fiat ed cylinder press; any variation in size between the original, duplicate, triplicate, and quadruplicate, may also be taken careof as the size of the forms 1, 2, 3 and 4, may creased as desired; practically any grade of paper may be employed in re ard to quality, color, weight, etc., as in ividual feeders'are employed for each grade; previously printed bill-heads, forms, etc., whether lithogra bed or otherwise, may be taken care of, an as the assembling or gatherin operation is automatic, collation and han gathering maybe entirely eliminated; practically any order may thus be taken care of and economyisinsured in all cases as dpaper waste is reduced to a minimum, an all operations are automatically taken care of once the press is made ready and the operation is started.

While a flat bed cylinder press is here illustrated, it is obvious that a job press or any other type of press suitable for the purpose, may be employed; similarly, that two,

three or more presses may be set up and run be increased or de-- mounted with relation thereto, a'pluralit of paper feeders mounted adjacent the cy inder, said feeders cooperating therewith and adapted to deliver a plurality of aper sheets in unison, a plurallty of type orms carried by the bed, one for each feeding device to permit the plural sheets to be rinted in unison and to permit the rinted s eets to be discharged in unison,- an an endless carrier mounted adjacent the discharge end of the press, said carrier having a continuous movement and the rate of movement being such that the sheets will advance a distance equal to the distance between the type forms carried by the bed during each printing operation.

2. In a printing press of the character described, a cylinder, a bed reciprocally mounted with relation thereto, a plurality of paper feeders mounted adjacent the cylinder, said feeders cooperating therewith and 'vice cooperating with each feeder to successively number the sheets, an endlessconveyor mounted adjacent the discharge end of the press and adapted to receive the sheets simultaneously discharged by the press, means for imparting a continuous movemert to the conveyor, the s eed or movement of the conveyor being suc that the sheets will advance a predetermined distance during each printing operation of the press, thereby permitting stacking of multiple forms in predetermined order and a hopper adapted to receive the stacked multiple orms.

' I HORACE P, BROWN. 

